It’s the beginning of a brand new year!
For me, the start of a new year is like opening a new journal or notebook with clean, fresh pages, and a beckoning of those pages to be filled with what’s calling to us: More rest. More travel. More love… pretty much anything we are seeking or that God is calling us to do.
Many people make resolutions or set goals. Some create vision boards, and a few actually USE those boards. Some decide on a word for the year.
I couldn’t settle on ONE word for my own year, so I chose three: Intentional. Love. Release.
Here’s how I am looking to live out these three words:
Intentional: I consider myself both strategic and spontaneous, but this year I plan to be very intentional in my work, in my rest, and in my relationships. No further words on that. Just know that I am going to be intentional.
Love: Life is too short to hold grudges. I seek to live in love. I just finished a very long email to two cousins to finally break my silence and share what I think led to a chasm between me and someone I have loved my entire life. Even though I didn’t initiate the thing that caused this rift, I realize that my own words and actions probably added some fuel to the fire, and I admitted that in my email. I hope someone else can admit her own failings in this situation, and that love will prevail.
In fact, I want love to be the core of all my relationships this year, whether they are family, friend, or partner.
As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13, “And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (! Corinthians 13:13, NIV)
Release: This is a big one for me this year. I’m releasing ALOT, both within my home and within myself. I’m going to be getting rid of quite a few material items this year, and I’ve already jotted down my decluttering plans for each day. What’s that old saying? “Inch by inch it’s a cinch!”
What about you? Have you thought about a word or a few words to guide YOU this year?
There’s a beauty in choosing words by which to live or that can guide us. Search your heart. Let it help guide you to the word or words that will guide you.
Here’s to being more intentional, more loving, and releasing what no longer serves me.
Here’s to 2026!
Amy Walton loves words. As a published writer of a few decades, she still can’t seem to call herself a writer because she, like many, sometimes deals with Imposter Syndrome. As of today, though, she is declaring herself a writer!
Amy Walton is a writer (!). Connect with her at amywaltoncoaching@gmail.com.